On September 24, 2013, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, during his working visit to London, met with Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster (Roman Catholic Church). They talked about Orthodox-Catholic relations, the state of religion in the modern society and prospects for students’ exchange between theological schools.

The DECR chairman informed Archbishop Nichols about the present state of the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, the Church’s situation in Russia and the character of church-state relations in the post-Soviet space. The Archbishop of Westminster told his guest about the initiatives of the Roman Catholic Church in England, her charity projects, priority tasks and the difficulties experienced by the Church in the secular society.

They gave special attention to the crisis situation in Syria. Metropolitan Hilarion told the head of the Catholic diocese of London about the initiatives made by the Russian Orthodox Church to help overcome the crisis and the cooperation of leaders of various Christian Churches in these efforts.

They were joined in their talk by Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh, Hieromonk Ioann (Kopeikin), assistant to the DECR chairman, the Rev. Alexander Vasiutin, a DECR staff member, and Protodeacon Dimitry Nedostupenko, the Russian Cathedral of the Assumption in London.